The answer does not lie in an expensive jar or flogging your flab at the state-of-the-art torture chambers that pass for gyms.

As you approach that middle-of-your-life watershed, enjoy your changing outer self and reach for an inner radiance, advises Farah Baria.

There’s something almost mystical about turning 35, says my friend Tara. Now Tara would say a thing like that. (She’s one of those New Age junkies, the kind who go for Past Life Therapy, apply for a diploma in Pranic healing from some obscure centre in Ontario and wear about 23 different gemstones to balance their chakras). But as a wannabe neophyte, I have to admit she is right: there is something mystical about turning 35. (Middle-aged and matronly, perhaps, but also mystical). As if, halfway to the biblical three score and ten, suspended in the temporal limbo between fading youth and advancing age, you pause to take stock and tune your clamorous, endlessly swivelling radar inward.

Astrologists attribute it to the planet Saturn. The solar system’s undisputed upstart, Saturn swaggers into a new area of our birth charts once every seven years, tossing fresh challenges at our unsuspecting souls. And the fifth visit, at the age of 35, is supposed to be significant, subtly refashioning a woman’s

psychic make-up before the start of that next big milestone, the menopause. It’s also the age when women can access their inner Shakti, the primordial feminine force that creates and nourishes all things. We receive our Shakti energy in our mothers’ wombs and pass it on to our daughters, as part of our female lineage. In her early years, a woman’s Shakti urges her to find a mate, between 25 and 35, and it provides the fuel for marriage, kids and career. Then, business of life under way, the rage of reproduction coalesces into the gentler spirit of nurturance.

This, then, is the time to take care of yourself, prepare body, mind and spirit for maturity. For many of us it means dealing with the first telltale wrinkle, grey hair or obstinate adipose that seems to have developed an infuriating infatuation for our waistlines. The answer, does not lie in an expensive jar, or flogging your flab at the state-of-the-art torture chambers that pass for gyms but in letting nature have her way, celebrating her delicate and inexorable artistry on your ripening form. When we accept our changing outer selves we discover an inner radiance that reduces the conventional concept of beauty to a mere shadow.

Nurture your body with a wholesome, satwik diet full of fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and grain. Cut down on meat or substitute it with soya, a rich source of natural plant estrogens that protect against breast cancer, menopausal flushes and PMS. Shatavari, the best known ayurvedic tonic for women, cleanses the blood and regulates the reproductive organs, helps with menstrual problems or mood swings and provides an excellent supply of female hormones, especially for women who have had hysterectomies. Calcium and magnesium supplements are also vital at this age; they strengthen weakening bones.

Yoga does the rest, combining body, mind and spirit through each of their corresponding attributes – stamina, strength and flexibility. Yogic asanas balance the endocrine glands, flush the internal organs with blood, calm the nervous system, strengthen bones and muscles, increase cardiovascular endurance and liberate the soul. There’s simply no other exercise routine as all-encompassing and perfect. Massage and aromatherapy are traditional adjuncts, both belonging to the ancient ayurvedic system of shringar or beauty care. Massage sloughs off dead skin cells, stimulates the lymphatic system and tones the muscles while the fragrant oils add their own therapeutic benefits. Jasmine, rose and geranium in a base of lubricating sesame oil is specific for maturing skin which tends towards dryness.

Before your bath, brush your entire body with a natural loofah to improve circulation, then massage the oil in quick upward strokes towards the heart (except for the joints and abdomen which are massaged in a clockwise direction). Let the oil soak into the skin for about ten minutes, then wash off in the shower with traditional ubtan, a mixture of chickpea flour (besan) and water. A weekly head massage with an ayurvedic oil containing bhringaraj and amla strengthens the hair roots and adds lustre. Massage the face with lavender and wheat germ oil to prevent wrinkles, then steam with a few drops of eucalyptus or ginger oil added to boiling water and finally apply a rich mask made from clay (multani mitti), honey, plus a capsule each of Vitamin E and Evening Primrose Oil.

As your body bursts into full bloom, turn your attention to your mind. Women are conditioned to put their own needs last: they are daughters, wives, mothers and in-laws before they learn to just be themselves. With half your life already behind you, now is the time to find out who you really are. Assess your relationships: are they truly fulfilling or do you want more? (Don’t be afraid to ask for it, no matter what the consequences.) Also be honest about how much you want to give of yourself and cut out psychological dead wood. Emotional spring cleaning of this sort is painful but infinitely rewarding and reciting the Durga Mantra - Om Sri Durgai Namaha - is said to help the process.

Then, instead of clinging on to the chimera of youth, we can enjoy the present moment. We can witness the miracle of life unfolding: seasons change, years pass, the kids grow up, parents prepare for their inevitable autumn, all according to some inscrutable plan. We can learn to surrender to that Plan. Halfway through our lives, we can be reborn.